We are all dependent on others to varying degrees. A language that denies this fact fuels a system that obscures the ways in which other people care for us. Words such as independence, self-reliance and self-made help create, and are created by, a dynamic within which people are ignored and devalued. Joan Tronto reminds us that by “not noticing how pervasive and central care is to human life, those who are in positions of power and privilege can continue to ignore and degrade the activities of care and those who give care.”

Independence is perhaps the most fundamental of our cultural myths; it supports the organisation of our society and justifies the distribution of goods, real and ideal. The labels independent and dependent, rather than reflecting empirical reality, are myths used to justify inequality.

Take care of yourself and whom you love…❤🙏

©️ Beatriz Esmer